Electrical Brain

                                                       

                                                             Fritsch–Hitzig Experiment (1870)

Aim: To determine whether the cerebral cortex controls voluntary movement.

Method:

• They exposed the cerebral cortex of a dog.
• Applied small electrical currents using electrodes to different cortical areas.

Observations:

• Electrical stimulation caused movement of specific body parts.
• Stimulating different cortical spots produced different limb movements.
• Stimulation of the right cortex moved the left side of the body (contralateral control).

Conclusion:

• The motor cortex controls voluntary movements.
• Different areas of the cortex control different muscles (localization of function)    

                                                                              Snapshot